President Joe Biden issues strong warning as Iran launches heavy missile attack on Israel

President Joe Biden waged a mighty war against Iran as missiles began raining down on central Israel.

Iran launched a barrage of 100 rockets into Israel on Tuesday evening, causing terror in the streets of Tel Aviv in response to the death of Hezbollah’s senior leadership and the ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

Rockets lit up the skies and struck buildings as air sirens blared across the capital, just hours after the White House warned an attack was “imminent.”

“The United States is prepared to help Israel defend against these attacks and protect American personnel in the region,” Biden said in a post on X as the attack began.

He went on to say that he and Vice President Kamala Harris convened their national security team after initial reports that Iran was planning to launch an “imminent” attack.

Terrifying footage showed the Iron Dome shooting down some rockets and sending flaming fragments towards the ground as Americans were urged to take cover in bomb shelters.

It remains unclear what exactly has been affected and what the impact on the ground will be.

Amid the Iranian fire, Israeli police said gunmen opened fire in Tel Aviv on the border with Jaffa, killing four and wounding seven people, according to Israeli police.

TV footage showed armed men getting off at a light rail station and opening fire. Israeli media reported that at least four people were seriously injured.

Earlier Tuesday, the US embassy in Israel told its employees to return home and be prepared to enter bomb shelters as the White House warned of an impending ballistic missile attack from Iran.

The warning comes with the Middle East on the brink of all-out war and a day after Israeli forces launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon aimed at crippling the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah.

According to reports from Israel, the first rockets were fired around 12:30 PM ET. The American warning had come about five hours earlier.

President Joe Biden convened a meeting of his national security council, including Vice President Harris, shortly before the attack began.

“They assessed the status of U.S. preparations to assist Israel in defending against these attacks and to protect U.S. personnel in the region,” the White House said.

The White House had warned that any attack would have “serious consequences.”

“The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to launch an early ballistic missile attack on Israel,” a senior administration official told DailyMail.com earlier Tuesday.

“We actively support defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack by Iran on Israel will have serious consequences for Iran.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discussed the “imminent” threat with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The attack could exceed the scale of an earlier bombing in April, in which hundreds of drones and missiles were launched at the country.

A Western source told Axios that, unlike the April attack, this time Iran is expected to launch ballistic missiles that can reach Israel within 12 minutes, and not drones or cruise missiles that allow for a much longer preparation time for defense and interception.

The Pentagon said Monday that the United States is sending several thousand additional troops to the Middle East to bolster the 40,000 troops already in the region and help defend Israel.

US fighter squadrons are being deployed, including F-15E and F-16s – fighter jets that played a key role in shooting down Iranian drones when Tehran launched a missile and drone attack on Israel in April.

F-22 fighter jets and A-10 fighter jets are also being sent, while the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is already positioned in the Gulf of Oman, while the USS Harry S Truman is underway as part of a planned deployment.

The order from the US embassy, ​​the first in months, indicates the seriousness of the situation.

Three Israeli officials told The New York Times that the attack would involve firing unmanned drones and missiles at Israel.

The US warning came around noon Israel time, which was 5 a.m. ET, an Israeli official told Axios.

The attack raises the possibility of all-out war between the two bitter enemies, who have waged a shadow war for years as Tehran sought to destroy Israel and Israel sought to rein in Iran’s nuclear program.

When Iran launched its direct attack on Israel in April, few missiles reached their targets. Many were shot down by a US-led coalition, while others apparently failed at launch or crashed in flight.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon are escalating as they try to eliminate Hezbollah’s top leaders.

Over the past year, Hezbollah has attacked Israel in solidarity with Hamas, the Gaza-based armed group also backed by Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday that Israel faces “major challenges” in its fight against an Iranian axis.

In the videotaped statement, he urged the public to listen to public safety guidelines from the Army’s Home Front Command. He made no direct mention of a missile threat.

Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that Israeli officials had received the intelligence update from Washington, but no aerial threats from Iran had yet been detected.

He said Israel and its allies are on a “high state of alert” and that any attack from Iran would have consequences, while the US embassy in Jerusalem ordered its employees and families to “shelter in place.”

A full-scale attack by Iran on Israel could lead to all-out war in the Middle East, with experts warning that such an escalation would likely lead to the US coming to Israel’s defense.

Fears of an Iranian attack increased as the Israeli army warned residents of more than 20 Lebanese border communities to immediately evacuate their homes after announcing the start of ground operations against Hezbollah late last night.

IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee told Lebanese civilians to flee north of the Awali River, some 60 kilometers (36 miles) from the border, raising fears that the IDF is planning to deploy its forces deep into southern Lebanon or to increase the intensity of air strikes.

“You must go north of the Awali River to save yourself and leave your homes immediately,” the statement said.